This invention refers to a basket-like box intended for containing elements for a game which requires a black-board, the black-board also serving as a cover for the box, and this latter on its turn serving as a support for keeping the black-board in an erected position for use.
A box of this kind is described in the Italian Application for Utility Model No. TO 94 U 000 232 of the same Applicant, and it has at its opening an edge suitable for receiving as a cover a black-board; the box is provided with inner support means which can be erected for supporting the black-board in its working position. This box affords several advantages, due to its basket-like structure, which enables reducing the amount of material used in its manufacture and, correspondingly, the amount of material to be wasted or recycled when the box is disposed of, and which allows a certain observation of the contents and the coming out of dust and little chips introduced by accident, and also due to the use of the black-board as a cover, whereby this latter is suppressed as a separate component; moreover, this box supports in effective manner the black-board when in use.
However this box has the drawback that, in order to displace the black-board from its position as cover to its working position, the black-board should be disengaged from the box and laid down near the box, the inner support means should be erected, and finally the black-board should be put in its working position, in which it is supported by the box and the support means. The inverse operations are required in order to close the box. The whole of these operations may be regarded as somewhat disturbing. Moreover, since the black-board is materially separated from the box, there is the possibility that it gets lost or it cannot be immediately found when the user wants to close the box.